title: Age-related changes in the structure of the keratan sulphate chains attached to fibromodulin isolated from articular cartilage.
abstract: Bovine articular cartilage fibromodulin has been isolated from animals aged 3 months to 8 years, and the attached keratan sulphate (KS) chains digested with keratanase II. The oligosaccharides generated have been reduced, examined by high-pH anion-exchange chromatography and their structures identified by comparison with standards. It has been shown that in fibromodulin from young articular cartilage, the KS chains do not possess either non-reducing terminal (alpha2-6)-linked N-acetylneuraminic acid or fucose (alpha1-3)-linked to sulphated N-acetylglucosamine residues. However, an age-related increase has been observed in the abundance of both (alpha2-6)-linked N-acetylneuraminic acid and (alpha1-3)-linked fucose, neither of which is found in KS isolated from non-articular cartilage, irrespective of the age of the source. Interestingly, the KS chain length remains constant as a function of age, which possibly relates to a role in collagen fibril assembly. In addition, no significant age-related changes were identified in levels of galactose sulphation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, U.K.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Lauder
authors.forename: T N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Huckerby
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Nieduszynski
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Plaas
mesh_terms: D000118:Acetylglucosaminidase / Q000378:metabolism; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002236:Carbohydrate Conformation; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000378:metabolism*; D002417:Cattle; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D000071235:Fibromodulin; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007632:Keratan Sulfate / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000737:chemistry; D011509:Proteoglycans
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D011509:Proteoglycans; D000071235:Fibromodulin; D007632:Keratan Sulfate; C086950:keratanase II; D000118:Acetylglucosaminidase